Jeremy Musson

Well-researched and easy to read, this book at once satiated my desire to know more about the history of the country house servant and left me wanting more. The author did a very good job showing not only the tasks and lives of the servants, but also how and why that lifestyle evolved, as well as how that, in turn, affected architectural design. Plenty of quotes from both servants and masters were included, providing a fully fleshed-out view of the situation, yet the writing remained light show more and interesting. show less

This history of the country house servant is detailed and absorbing. Much of the material on the period up to 1800 is relatively little known and perhaps forms the best part of the book, although there is more detail for years after that date. Musson starts from an architectural perspective (and so is interetsed in issues such as the design of kitchens and associated offices), but gives plenty of detail on actual functions of servants from day to day.

If I have one criticism it would be that show more the later chapters lean too much on the memoirs of people who served in very large households, and therefore the picture presented is sometimes a little atypical. A little tighter editing to eliminate duplicated information would also have been helpful. But this is still a very worthwhile book. show less

This is a wonderfully illustrated book and provides a find overview of the evolution of a country house. It does a fine job of explaining many aspects of a country house, but I expected more insightful answers about why these houses were designed as they were. With the exception of explaining the Great Hall, the “why it’s this way” of a country house is left unanswered. I think I expected something different.

I found this book in one of my favourite bookstores, Reader’s Feast, in Melbourne. Their non-fiction section always has a great range of books to suit all your favourite interests as well as igniting a few interests you never knew you had! Being a big fan of the television series Downton Abbey, I decided to give this book a go. It chronicles the life of the servants in English country mansions over the centuries. I knew it was non-fiction, and wouldn’t contain as much drama as Downton, show more but still…I thought it would be interesting.

It is an interesting book, in a factual, history type way. The book does get bogged down at times in details and facts and I found myself skimming over sections. I would have liked to know a bit more about the typical day-to-day role of a housemaid or scullery maid rather than facts on how many servants and what their job title was. Musson must be praised however on the amount of painstaking research that has been done to produce such a detailed book. There is a chapter for each century of servant life up until the 1800s and 1900s, where there are two chapters for each. There are a lot of houses covered – I would have liked to have seen fewer houses, more detail if it was possible. However, the bibliography is incredibly impressive if I wanted to pursue this further...

While I did learn quite a bit about the types of roles that were needed to run a big house and estate, I also discovered that my interest in this subject is more about the people rather than the logistics. I think I should read a biography of one of these servants to try to gain more understanding about life was like for the individual. Any suggestions? Oh, and a bit of drama and intrigue wouldn’t go astray!

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